Trucks, road tractors, and other vehicles often have mud flaps disposed behind some or all of their wheels in order to help prevent or diminish material from being thrown, launched, or otherwise propelled into the air by the wheels. The material includes, but is not limited to, rocks, debris, water, and road slop. However, the mud flaps can obstruct access to wheels and tires. The obstructed access can impede tire or wheel maintenance and can make installation of tire chains more difficult and time consuming.
Under some adverse conditions, drivers must install tire chains in order to drive their vehicles safely and effectively. The adverse conditions include, but are not limited to, slick road surfaces caused by snow, freezing rain, hail, and mud. In some cases, installation of tire chains is mandatory before trucks, road tractors, or semi-trailer trucks are permitted to travel on roads having sharp turns or steep grades.
Installing tire chains is often performed roadside in inclement weather, and the presence of mud flaps can necessitate an installer lying on a wet, icy, or snow packed road while installing tire chains. Under these arduous conditions, with access to vehicle wheels impeded by mud flaps, the chains are often poorly installed. Consequently, the poorly installed chains can be damaged or shed from the vehicle wheels as the vehicle is driven. A vehicle that has shed or damaged its tire chains may be stranded or endangered by a resulting lack of traction. Improvements that facilitate wheel access for vehicles equipped with mud flaps are thus in demand, and would be most beneficial for installation of tire chains and vehicle maintenance.